1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an endoscope plug body, particularly to the endoscope plug body which is attached to a channel opening of a treatment instrument insertion channel provided in an endoscope and shields the inside of the treatment instrument insertion channel from the outside in an airtight manner even if a treatment instrument is inserted from the channel opening into the treatment instrument insertion channel.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, the endoscope is widely used in a medical field and the like. Various treatments are performed to a region, a tissue, and the like in a body cavity of a patient using the endoscope. Specifically a treatment in which a catheter is inserted into the treatment instrument insertion channel provided in the endoscope to inject chemicals into the body cavity of the patient, a treatment in which a forceps is inserted into the treatment instrument insertion channel to ablate or sample a lesional region, and the like are performed.
In performing the treatment with the endoscope, the treatment instrument such as the catheter and the forceps is introduced into the treatment instrument insertion channel through a plug body which is attached to the channel opening provided in an operation portion of the endoscope. The plug body prevents a body fluid, filth, air, and the like from flowing back through the treatment instrument insertion channel to leak out to the outside from the channel opening because of a change in internal pressure of the body cavity.
The plug body includes a reuse type plug body and a disposable type plug body. The reuse type plug body can be reused by cleaning and disinfecting the plug body after each use. The disposable type plug body cannot be reused by forming the plug body with necessary breakage in detaching the plug body, when the plug body is once mounted in the opening of the treatment instrument insertion channel.
Examples of the disposable type plug body include plug bodies proposed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. H3-073168 and JP-A No. H3-047275. JP-A No. H3-073168 discloses a medical instrument plug body having a configuration, in which an annular cut groove is formed in an outer peripheral surface of a plug frame, a thickness is reduced in the cut groove, and a knob is provided in the outer peripheral surface below the cut groove while being integral with the plug frame. In the configuration disclosed in JP-A No. H3-073168, when the knob is pulled toward a circumferential direction after use by grabbing the knob with the fingers, the plug frame is sequentially broken from the cut groove toward the annular cut groove, and the plug frame is divided into two upper and lower portions from the cut groove to extremely easily detach the plug body from the insertion port body such as the channel opening.
There is also disclosed a medical instrument plug body having a configuration in which the knob is formed in a lower end of a cylindrical side wall of the plug frame while being integral with the plug body, and two cuts are continuously formed upward in an outer surface portion of the plug frame from both ends of a connection portion where the knob is connected to the plug frame so as to reach at least a portion above the annular groove portion. In the configuration, the knob is pulled after use by grabbing the knob with the fingers. Then, the cut groove is vertically broken upward, and a part of the annular groove portion is lacked in an arc to easily detach the plug body from the insertion port body.
On the other hand, JP-A No. H3-047275 discloses a medical instrument plug body having a configuration, in which the knob is provided in the lower end of the cylindrical side wall of the plug body while being integral with the main body portion, cut portions are formed at both ends of the knob with respect to the main body portion, and groove portions connected to the cut portions respectively are continuously provided so as to reach the side above the annular groove portion. In the configuration, when the knob is pulled by grabbing the knob with the fingers, a part of the annular groove portion is lacked while the plug body is broken from the cut portion to the groove portion, so that the plug body is easily detached from the insertion port body.
There is also disclosed a medical instrument plug body having a configuration in which one cut portion is provided on one side of the connection portion between the knob and the main body portion, and one groove portion connected to the cut portion is formed in a spiral shape in a side wall portion of the main body portion while continued to the upper portion of the annular groove portion. In the configuration, when the knob is pulled, the plug body is broken in the spiral shape from the cut portion to the groove portion, and a part of the annular groove portion fitted in a flange portion is largely broken to easily detach the plug body from the insertion port body.
There is also disclosed another medical instrument plug body having a configuration in which a notch portion to be caught by the finger is provided in an upper side face of the main body of the plug body, a pair of groove portions is provided along an outer periphery of the main body portion while continued to the notch portion, and a breaking band portion is formed as a thin portion between the pair of groove portions. In this case, the pair of groove portions is not provided in the whole circumference of the main body portion, but the pair of groove portions is formed downward at the position on the substantially symmetrical side opposite to the notch portion so as to reach the lower end of the main body portion. In the configuration, the finger is inserted into the notch portion to pick the plug body upward, and thereby the upper portion of the main body portion is broken. Then, after the plug body is pulled hard upward, the plug body is pulled toward the front side (downward), and thereby the breaking band portion is continuously broken and detached from the insertion port.
There is also disclosed still another medical instrument plug body having a configuration in which the knob is provided at an edge portion in the upper end of the cylindrical side wall of the plug body while integral with the main body portion of the plug body, the cut portion is formed along a half circumference of the cylindrical side wall of the plug body, and the cut portion is provided above the annular groove portion. In the configuration, when the knob is pulled upward by grabbing the knob with the fingers, the plug body is broken from the weakest cut portion, and the annular groove portion fitted in the flange portion can be disengaged to detach the plug body from the insertion port body.